Stimulated by the nth discussion with Zachriel on this point, I would like to offer here some thoughts about the difference between Natural Selection and Artificial Selection. First of all, the dramatic limitation of NS is the following: it works on one functional specification, and one functional specification only: reproductive advantage. In a sense, that specification is the byproduct of the system: biological beings that reproduce, that use limited resources to do that, and that compete for those resources. So, NS is a selection made possible by the existence of a complex functional system, and it selects for improvement in a function critically predefined in that system: reproductive success. So, it is a byproduct of the functional complexity already existing in the … Continue reading Natural Selection vs Artificial Selection